More than Meets the Eye
by The Mute Bard
Summary: Set directly after the events of Transformers 2, Megatron and Starscream are holed up mending their wounds. Megatron/Starscream warning. Nonexplicit, but could be disturbing.


More Than Meets the Eye

By

The Mute Bard

Dedicated to

Everfaraway

Initiating environmental scan…

Recalculating to Earth Time…

Resetting Logs…

Time: 0950 hours local time, 0450 Zulu time

Location: Pakistan

Current Status: Non combat ready. 47% systems failure

WARNING: Energon reserves low

WARNING: Multiple mechanical Malfuctions

Enter command: disable warnings.

INTERNAL OVER-RIDE required: y/n… y

Warnings disabled and reset.

Initiating system scan…

Run in background? y/n… y

Command line: switch to visual /y

Switched to visual.

Command line: scan

Scanning… One transformer detected, unit name Starscream. Status, injured, non threat.

Command line: Initiate audio components /y

Initiating audio… ERROR ERROR

Resetting audio…

Rerouting audio circuitry…

Error resolved

Initiating audio…

Initialized: Input next command…

Small bits of rubble crumbled from the ceiling as the massive transformer shifted, his optics sweeping back and forth to capture the entire tableau before him. Megatron was not pleased. Despite his best efforts, he had been thwarted again. Optimus had somehow risen, and the Fallen was dead. This was not how it was supposed to end! He, Megatron was supposed to emerge victorious as the true leader of the Decepticons and be praised by the fallen. Instead, now he and Starscream were stuck hiding out in a cave. They had left the pyramids in a rush, and headed north to seek shelter in the mountains of the Middle East. The first cave they found that was big enough to hold them was occupied, but a few quick blasts effectively liquefied the inhabitants. Now as his optics scanned the cave, reminders of that enjoyable ten seconds lay before him. There were still bits of bodies and scraps of cloth, along with the walls being covered posters and painted slogans apparently praising some leader named Allah and talking about a great "Jihad" against the American Satan. Megatron chuckled, his deep electronic voice rasping as it displaced clouds of sand stuck to his faceplate. This American Satan had proved to be formidable foes for the Decepticons, as the lightning quick death of Devastator had so amply demonstrated. The transformer felt sure that the previous inhabitants of this cave would have faired poorly in the event they had ever had the chance to meet the full military might of that particular foe.

His eyes swept onward, toward the entrance where Starscream lay wounded and whimpering like the little bitch he was. Megatron cleared his throat, enjoying watching the lesser transformer twitch and jump in fear at the sudden noice.

"Starscream, you disappoint me. You are supposed to be a mighty warrior, yet here you lie cowering like a dog before me. Pathetic!" The decepticon leader would have spat if he had the proper apparatus. It was times like this that Megatron faintly envied the humans' anatomy. It made for such fascinating possibilities, disgusting as some of them may be.

"Master, please, I beg of you, have mercy. I am injured and in no condition to fight. But I still may be of use to you." The decepticon squeaked, his voice rattling and filled with static from the sand which invaded every crack of his armor.

"Perhaps, but it does not change the fact that you are pathetic." Megatron grumbled.

"Master, not to change the subject, but what do we do next? I mean, we just got our asses kicked by the Autobots; we're fragmented, and we have no current military strategy." Starscream inquired.

"I'm going to backhand your metal ass across this cave if you don't shut up and let me think!" Megatron growled.

"Is that a promise?" Starscream responded coyly.

The entire mountain shook, dust belched out of the cave entrance. Miles away, in a field of poppies, a local arab farmer threw himself to the ground, thinking that the Americans were doing another air strike.

Back inside the cave, Megatron looked over the crumpled body of Starscream. "I'm having a bad day, don't provoke me Starscream. I don't need complaints, I need support right now." The decepticon leader grumbled. He looked at the still frame of Starscream; it wasn't moving. "Uh, Starscream, you okay? Come on now, I didn't hit you THAT hard. Get up you little pansy."

The body didn't move.

"Starscream? Stop it. You're making me even more annoyed. Get up! I command it!" Megatron exclaimed as he nudged the transformer in front of him with his toe. The mass of metal did not move; not even a token sound emitted from any of his circuitry.

"Oh no, by the All Spark, what have I done? Starscream, don't die, I need you. I… I… I lo… lo…" The mighty leader crumpled to his knees, his capacity for verbalizing almost vanished at the array of complex emotions running through his processors.

"Say it…" a voice gently hissed from the pile of metal that was Starscream.

"I… I… I love, WAIT WHAT? You were alive the entire time? You bastard!"

Miles away, as the poppy farmer was walking back from the fields to his farm, the earth heaved and shook. The poor man threw himself down to the ground and said a soft prayer for the vengeance of Allah on whoever it was that seemed to be dropping JDAMs so close to his house. Seconds later the sound of the expected explosion was replaced with a much deeper thud as though something massive had been slammed into the earth, but not exploded.

Initiating environmental scan…

Recalculating to Earth Time…

Resetting Logs…

Time: 1130 hours local time, 0630 Zulu time

Location: Pakistan

Current Status: Non combat ready. 74% systems failure

WARNING: Energon reserves critical

WARNING: Multiple mechanical Malfuctions

Enter command: disable warnings.

INTERNAL OVER-RIDE required: y/n… y

Warnings disabled and reset.

Initiating system scan…

Run in background? y/n… y

Command line: switch to visual /y

Switched to visual.

ERROR ERROR

Visual sensors offline…

Command line: reset visual sensors /y

Command over-ride accepted

Resetting visual sensors

Visual online:

Command line: scan

Scanning… One transformer detected, unit name Megatron. Status, recent combat damage, danger level high

Command line: Initiate audio components /y

Initialized: Input next command…

Starscream sat by the cavern entrance once more. It had taken him nearly an hour to repair himself to mobility after his prank on Megatron. Now Megatron had calmed down, but still glowered at Starscream from the depths of the cave. It was not wise to toy with the mighty Megatron's emotions, but Starscream took extreme pleasure testing his limits and seeing how far he could push the decepticon before he pushed back, usually violently.

Starscream slowly creaked to his feet, and cautiously approached Megatron once more. "There there Megatron. We had some good times right? Remember when we double teamed Optimus Prime?"

Megatron chuckled grimly, "Yeah, good times."

"I loved how you took him from behind," Starscream spoke softly, "It was so _primal_ how you ripped him apart."

"I'll show you primal, come here you!" Megatron laughed as he reached out playfully toward his lieutenant.

Far off in the distance, a young boy herding goats through a mountain pass saw the reflection of sparks that seemed like lightning upon the cliff face. Strange inhuman voices reverberated from the cliffs as the shepherd moved closer, trying to ascertain what was going on. Surely this was a sign of some sort from Allah. He crept slowly forward, ever cautious yet curious. Finally he came to a large cavern entrance. Bracing himself, he bravely peeked inside.

A week later the search party finally found him. The poor shepherd was suffering extreme heat exhaustion and dehydration, as well as malnourishment. The boy eventually recovered physically, but mentally, he was never quite right. Whatever had happened to him, it seemed that he had lost the ability to speak. The local Mullah's sent him off to a school where he could study reading and writing, and he spent a great deal of time hiding in the library. Upon graduation, he founded the first Amish community in the Middle East. On large wooden signs throughout the entrances to the community, written in fifteen different languages, ten of which were different dialects of Arabic, were written these words: "NO MACHINES ALLOWED!"

TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

By

The Mute Bard

Dedicated to: Everfaraway.


End file.
